Railway-crossing signal



July 7, 1925.

E. O. MlLLHOUSER RAILWAY CROSS ING S IGNAL Guava,

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, E. o. MILLI-KIOUSER RAILWAY CROSS ING SIGNAL Filed Dec. 13, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet? lowing is a specification.

Patented July 7, 1925.

- UNITED sr TEs Y EDWARD 0. MILLHOUSER, or Kansas crrr, MISSOURI.

1,544,853 PATE OFFICE earrway-caossmer- SIGNAL.

Application filed December 13, 1924. Serial No. 7555713.

To all whom it may concern. a

Be it known that I, EDWARD MILL- HOUSER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of- Jackto give both visual and audible signals or alarms as trains approach the crossing.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a railwaysignal which can be readily installed wherever desired along the track without necessitating altering the track construction, and which willbepositively operated by the rolling stock traveling on the track.-

Other objects will hereinafter appear, and in order that the invention may be fully understood reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a broken plan view of aportion of a track equipped with the railway signal structure.

Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation of the mechanism shown by Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a broken detail side elevation, partly in section, of a portion of the wheelactuated mechanism.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section'on line IVIV of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal section on line VV of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a broken plan view of a section of the railwayv track equipped with a m0di lied form of the signal structure.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the parts disclosed by Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged broken section on line VIIIVIII of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a cross section on line IX IX of Fig. 8.

Referring now in detail to the various parts, 2 designates in general a track section including the rails 4 secured upon the cross ties 6. V

8 designates a signal post arranged beside the track at a railway crossing or other desired point. Said signal post 8 is equipped with a signal light 10 connected to a normally open circuit 12 including a battery tionary contact 16, fixed to the post 8, and

a movable contact 18 secured to an oscillatory lever 20.

The signal post 8 is also equipped with an audible signal in the form of a gong or bell 22, actuated by a hammer 24 secured to the lever20, which has a horizontally ex tending arm 26 carrying a visual signal in the form of a flag 28.

The lever '20 is normally held against a stop 30-011 the signal post 8 by yieldable means such as a'coilspring 32c'onnected at one end to one of the cross ties 6 and at its opposite end to a crank-34 fixed to the transverse shaft 36 of the lever '20. The

14 and a circuit breaker embodying a statransverse shaft 36 is rockably mounted in 1 bearings 38secured'to the lower portions of the rails r Located along the track at a-s'uitable dis tance from the signal post 8 'is a wheelspring, the terminals of whichfaregsli'dably mounted inshoes 42 secured upon the adj acent cross 't'ies 6. As shown by Figs. 1 and 4, the member 40 is located adjacent to one of the rails4, so that thefianges on the wheels of the rolling stock may run upon the arched portion of said member and depress the same. In order to prevent the member 40 from springing laterally from beneath the wheel flanges, said member is provided with an upturned flange 44, which lies against the inner side of the ball of the adj acent rail 4, so that it will be between said rail and the wheel flanges as the same travel upon and depress the member 40.

A plunger in the form of a rack 46 extends downwardly from the raised central portion of the member 40 and into a guide 48 which is sunk into the road bed and encloses a pinion 50, which inter-meshes with the teeth of the rack 46. The pinion 50 is fixedly mounted upon a crank shaft 54 jouractuated member 40 inthe form of a bow naled in the upper portion of the guide 48 and bearings 56, which latter are secured to the rails 4. A crank 60 at one end of the shaft 54 is connected to the crank 34 by a cable 62, which is enclosed the greater portion of its length in a protective conduit 64 secured upon the adjacent cross ties 6.

With the parts arranged as shown and described it is apparent that as the flanges of the wheels of the rolling stock intermittently depress the member 40 it will in turn depress the plunger 46 which causes sounding the same.

the pinion 50 to rotate counter-clockwise. As. the pinion: 50 rotates counter-clockwise it causes the crank shaft 54 to pull the cable 62 to the left, Fig. 2, which in turn pulls the lever therewith, causing thesame to move the flag 28 and carry the hammer 24 forcibly against the gong 22, The movable contact 18 also closes the circuit 12 by engaging the contact 16', thereby causing the light 10 to glow. The instant the flange of each wheel leaves the member 40 the same springs up to normal position, the spring 32 restores the lever 20 against the stop and the circuit 12 is interrupted-by the contact 1-8 swinging away from the contact 16. Thus it will be understood that the alternate action of the spring 32 and the cable 62, will cause thelever 20tooscillate, causing the flag 28 to wave,.the hammer 24 tosound the gong 22,v and the light 10 to intermittently glow until the train has passed.

In the modified fornrdisclosed by. Figs. G'to 9, inclusive, theparts are substantially the same as in the preferred form, as evidenced by corresponding reference.v charac} ters with exponents a, the chiet difference being: that the wheel-actuated member 40 is secured at one end toone of the cross ties 6 and has its opposite end pivotally flanges it moves longitudinally in the direcc1011., of the crank 52", which is thereby caused to actuate the crank shaft 54, which in turn actuates the signals through the intervening mechanism; As the member 4:0 moves longitudinally, as stated, it carries the plunger 46* therewith, so the guide 48 ismade elliptical in cross section as shownv by Fig. 9 to permit of such movement.

lVhile two forms of the invention have been disclosed, I reserve the right to make suchother forms and changes in the details of. construction, combinationand arrangement of parts as properly fall Within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, whatI claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent,.is: V

A railway signal structure consisting of a signal, yieldable means for retaining said signal in normal position, a cable for operating. said signal, a wheel-actuated member to effect the operation of said cable and havi'nga: resilient arched portion arranged in the pathof wheels running on an adjacent rail, and-an upwardly projecting flange on said: member for engagement by the ad jaeent sides of. the wheel flanges to prevent lateral?displacementof said member.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature,, in the presence of two witnesses.

EDVARD' O. MILLHOUSER. 

